Corbin and Vaughn may not be Head Coach material, but you can't say the same about Karl - he's more than just an Assistant.
A short week of games this season (because of that underwhleming Festival known as the "All Star Weekend"), but a long post coming up here...
All About Exum
That’s it. I’m done. I’ve put myself through months of torture, game after game of frustration. It’s time to put it to an end.
Therefore, from this moment on, I resolve to cease watching every single Dante Exum minute of every single Utah Jazz game.
Exum will continue to develop his game this season but it’ll no longer be under my watchful eye.
But before I give up my religious devotion to viewing Jazz games, I thought I may as well impart what amateurish knoweldge I’ve gained of Exum’s game so far.
Offence:
Shooting
Dante’s shooting motion can at times look disjointed and slow.
Good shooters use their legs to drive up into their jumpshot, but Exum’s legs and upper body are not in sync. As a result, his outside shot is still very wristy.
The result of an Exum jumper is either a make or a very bad miss (this most often happens when he is even slightly rushed on the shot). The ball caroms of all parts of the ring…no shooter’s rolls here.
But despite a bevy of wide open misses Exum has continued to fire away from the outside, which is a good thing - showing he maintains confidence in his shooting and is prepared to go through sub-par shooting nights in order to get better.
When driving, Exum settles for too many quick-shot floaters and long-distance finger rolls in the painted area; Antawn Jamison-like push shots where he barely jumps and/or goes off the opposite foot.
There are times where Dante needs to go all the way and look to score and/or draw contact (all of his layups in the immediate rim area are usually quick-shotted above the defender as well).
Exum idolizes Derrick Rose, who himself had a similar issue whereby he didn't embrace creating contact on his drives up until his MVP season (of course, Rose has reverted back to avoiding contact post-injury but that’s another story).
Passing
Dante’s strength lies in his ability to survey the weakside and pick out a teammate with a skip pass as weakside defenders sag into the paint.
On the other hand, Exum’s passes to intitate the offense – from the top of the key to the wing/elbow area – are way too soft and loopy. The Jazz coaching staff has made a note of this, telling Dante to make firmer passes.
Note: All Youtube clips are from Saturday’s game against Phoenix, Exum's best game in the last couple of weeks.
He favours the one handed push pass (equally comfortable with left or right hand) as opposed to the crisper double-handed pass.
Although many of the blind lobs to Gobert have dissipated as the season has progressed, Exum still forces too many inside passes in general (although credit him for always looking inside…as a Point Guard it’s always a good idea to keep the big men happy).
This is most evident when the defense traps on the side Pick and Roll. When this occurs, Exum forces the pocket pass waaaaaaay too often: trying to slip a bounce pass between 2 opposing defenders usually results in a deflection, turnover or kicked ball.
Exum really needs to work on sussing out the available passing lanes and not giving the ball up so freely.
He does a better job here as he decides to pass over the top to Kanter:
Pick and Rolls
Speaking of Pick and Rolls, ExRoyboy posted the following in the Aussie NBA watch thread*:
And as harsh as that quote sounds, it’s mostly correct: Exum doesn’t get close enough to the screener when handling the ball, although he’s not helped by the fact that teams are trapping/showing on most of his Pick and Rolls.
When a defence tries this scheme against Pick and Rolls at the top of the key, Exum’s tendency is to dribble backwards rather than use speed to attack the coverage – specifically the opposing big man – and either create an opening for a pass to the roller/popper or go all the way for a lay in.
*Note: a lot of the themes in this post are extensions of what is being discussed in that Aussie NBA Watch thread, so if you’re curious to track Exum’s progression through the rest of the season it might be worth following that thread.
Ball Handling
Exum’s handle is not bad and definitely passable for a Point Guard.
Earlier in the season a couple of teams tried to pressure him as he took the ball up the floor but he handled it OK.
Like I read somewhere on the internet, Exum currently has no reliable go-to move, particularly one that takes him north-south.
So he’s struggling to dribble past players at the top of the key (and more effectively break down Pick and Roll defences) despite usually having a quickness advantage. He likes the in-and-out dribble but doesn’t utilise it effectively enough yet to get in the paint.
He’s better at attacking from the wings however: Early in the season while stationed on the left wing, Exum used his patented right to left crossover to get to basket area, but after getting called for a few carrying violations he’s sorta shelved it.
If he’s got the ball on either wing and the Pick and Roll D Shows and forces him away from middle of floor, Dante will happily take what the defence gives him and drive baseline, though always looking to pass rather than score.
His quickness allows him to get deep under the basket (just gotta be careful not to step on that baseline Dante!) and then from here his aforementioned weakside passing ability comes into play – he can comfortably pinpoint a pass to the opposite corner, wing, and even make the more difficult dump off pass inside:
Off-Ball Movement
Yes there is a lack of aggressiveness, but we also need to be aware that Exum isn’t really asked to do too much on Offence, spending a lot of time standing in the corner because that is often his role in the offensive set.
The Jazz often run a continuous dribble hand-off/weave thingy (I’m pretty sure that’s the correct technical term for it), an Offensive set the Spurs also run, whereby in Utah’s case Exum usually just receives the hand off and continues the weave until Hayward/Ingles - more creative playmakers at this stage – do their thing.
And more than just standing in the corners, Exum is always looking to cut and move around when he doesn’t have the ball, which speaks to his engagement on Offence.
He’s quite creative at looking for seams (the quick-hitting give and go with Ingles has worked a couple of times), and it’s something he can use to his advantage as the season progresses given that teams sag way off him, his immediate defender more concerned with help Defence. Perhaps studying Dwayne Wade's cutting might be a good idea.
One thing Exum has to be careful of is that his wandering inwards from 3 point line doesn’t muck up the Jazz spacing.
IMO Dante often doesn’t run floor hard enough in transition offence if he doesn’t have the ball. There are opportunities to get baskets on the fast break, but the willingness isn’t there when multiple Jazz players are also on the break. Instead he’ll more likely just trot upcourt. It could be a stamina issue, but even so I'd like to see Exum get a bit more greedy in that sense.
Defence
On-Ball
Exum’s one on one D is good, he stays in front of his man and keeps his chest in front of the dribbler pretty well. With added strength he can cause even more on-ball disruption. Has had to guard 3 different positions this season and has acquitted himself satisfactorily.
The Jazz defensive scheme is to force the ball handler away from the pick. This can lead Exum to looking like he’s the victim of a crossover when in fact he’s just doing his defensive job of shading the ball handler.
The main defensive difficulty comes with with navigating on-ball screens. Maybe a small part of this is due to the big man not calling out the location of the pick.
Exum tries to go over every on-ball screen that’s set a couple feet out from 3 point line. Perhaps that’s a directive from the coaching staff, but I don’t know if he needs to do it every time as it can lead to stuff like this:
...of course, it doesn’t help having the slow-footed Kanter as a defensive pick and roll partner.
Exum’s endeavour at fighting through screens is encouraging, even if not always done efficiently, and he has drawn a number of offensive fouls through such endeavour.
When Exum does get caught up on screens, what he’s good at is recovering to his man and using his length to contest the shot. It’s a stark difference to when Trey Burke is defending the pick and roll: Burke's D doesn’t seem to affect opposing PG’s at all.
(When Exum is on court the opponents Offensive Rating is 105.2. When Burke is on court, the opponent Offensive Rating is 111.6
Using another metric, Exum’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus Rating is -0.61 while Burke’s is -3.04, one of the worst amongst Point Guards)
Off Ball
Exum is good at backing back in transition defence. He keeps his body in front of the man and looks to avoid fouling. It usually doesn’t stop the fast break basket though, so perhaps some Danny Green-type swipes at the ball wouldn’t hurt.
Dante doesn’t play passing lanes too often on D, certainly nowhere near as much as his teammate Hayward, who is one of the leagues best at doing this.
As a strongside off ball defender he likes to reach in and swipe at the driving player. He’s not very successful at prying the ball loose but any little disruption can muck up the opponent’s drive.
On the weakside, Dante can sometimes lose track of his man, but he's far from alone in this regard and it isn’t close to being a James Harden style glaring issue.
The bigger problem is recovering to the outside shooter from this help position. His length and speed are great assets to have in this situation, but he’s still trying to find the right balance between looking to help and being prepared to jump back to his man.
And then when he scrambles back to his man, he needs to learn not to jump at everything. Many a time the shooter has simply pump-faked as Exum flies by into the stands.
He’s caught between a rock and a hard place through no fault of his own in the example below (there’s those slow Kanter feet again!), but it’s still relevant to the discussion:
This is a skill I’m sure Exum will get a lot better at with more experience.
Rebounding
Dante drifts away from the basket rather than going for rebounds, letting his big men do the work on the glass.
Exum rarely jumps for boards; the majority of his rebounds are long caroms that land in his lap. With his size, it’d be good to see him incorporate a Butler or Rondo-like attitude and sneak in to crash the glass every so often.
In any case his contribution on the boards has been minimal so far.
Temperament
Dante needs to have a greater wilingness to get involved in the action.
He’s such a well mannered, polite guy - which makes him easy to barrack for - but I’m sure we’d all like to see him play with a an edge, a bit of mongrel so to speak.
That said, he’s not afraid to direct the team and let his big men if they’re out of position on Offence or Defence (not sure how well Derrick Favors takes to getting admonished by a 19 year old though).
I think Exum desperately needs a veteran Point Guard presence on the Jazz squad. Utah has had Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley on their rosters in recent seasons. A experienced Point Guard of that ilk could help Dante a bit and show him some tricks of the trade (like the many uses of courtside dustpans in Tinsley's case).
At present, much of Exum’s game is based on confidence, something that no doubt fluctuates as a rookie.
We all want Dante to do well and thus we are quick to see his faults which leads to our frustrations over his play.
But think back for a second, to when you played high school basketball here in Australia. It wasn’t much of a big deal back then; a low-key affair with a smattering of parents in the crowd…not too far removed from a bunch of kids running around a court for enjoyment.
Now imagine going straight from that environment and level of opposition to the NBA.
Patience is the key here. Give the kid some time, let him mature, work on his game and get used to the NBA...That’s what I’m gonna do now, stepping away from watching every second of Jazz contests while critically analysing Exum’s game to the nth degree.
I’ll see you in a few weeks/months/seasons Dante…and I can’t wait to see just how you progress.
Plumlee Play Of The Week
I also can’t wait to see Mason Plumlee in next weekend’s Dunk Contest...or is it Miles Plumlee? Ah, who cares...
Anyway, one Dunk Contest idea might be to jump over a waitress carrying a tray of beers, something Plumlee perhaps should’ve tried yesterday.
(You can't embed more than 5 Youtube clips in one post, so from here on out it's links)
Random Quiz Question Of The Week
Speaking of Plumlee, he’ll be the 7th American white guy to have ever competed in the NBA Dunk Contest. How many of the 6 other White Guys can you name?
1. Chase “White Men Can’t Jump” Budinger (2012)
2. Chris Andersen (2004 & 2005)
3. Bob Sura (1997)
4. Brent Barry (1996)
5. Rex Chapman (1990 & 1991)
6. Tom Chambers (1987)
2. Chris Andersen (2004 & 2005)
3. Bob Sura (1997)
4. Brent Barry (1996)
5. Rex Chapman (1990 & 1991)
6. Tom Chambers (1987)
Random Quiz Question Of the Week Part II
Who is the only player to participate in the NBA Dunk Contest while also leading the league in Free Throws Attempted?
Model Of Efficiency
The graph below plots Offensive and Defensive Efficiency (points scored and allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for League Average and Strength Of Schedule). Basically the further in the top right corner you are, the better you are.
Once again, credit for the original idea goes to Bigfooty User Final Siren, who created the concept in the thread: The Race for the Flag in Squiggly Lines).
After 15 Weeks:
If you wanna play spot the difference, here is a link to the previous week’s graph.
The notable movers of last week:
- The high-scoring game between Conference leaders Atlanta & Golden State played a part in both teams moving slightly up-and-left on the graph. For all the talk about the Budenholzer’s Hawks emulating the Spurs, their current ratings are as close as they’ve ever been to those of last year’s champs.
- There was a detailed ESPN article on Golden State's defence a few days ago, but as it stands right now this is the worst the Warriors Defensive Rating has been since I started tracking it in Week 3 (though it’s still the best in the league by a good margin).
- The Charlotte Hornets continue to slowly travel in the exact opposite graphical direction to those 2 teams, but their record has also improved over the same time span, relying on their D to guide them into playoff position.
- It was a tough week for Washington but they didn't move much on the Graph at all, their losses masked by a 37 point thrashing of the Nets.
- Speaking of bad weeks: the Sacramento Kings better be careful otherwise on future graphs they might find themselves amid the Minnesota-Lakers-Knicks Triangle of Shitness.
Clutch Play Of The Week
In case you missed it.
And Briefly...
- As I’m gonna give up on constantly watching the Jazz, you may not hear about them for the rest of the season, so a couple of final notes on them: Derrick Favors is a master of the no-dribble catch and finish.
- You get the sense that Gordon Hayward plays as if he feels he’s stuck in purgartory, begrudgingly accepting of the fact that he has to endure another sub .500 season playing alongside a bunch of NBA beginners.
- I’m not a fan of coaches who squat down along the sidelines with a pensive look on their face - they appear too serious and self-important. I thought that pose had left the NBA for good when Jim O’Brien got fired, but Quin Snyder has brought it back this season...Get rid of it Quin – that type of look is best left to those sideline egoists in the NCAA.
- Did you know? Former Orlando GM and BigFooty favourite Otis Smith was a two-time participant in the Dunk Contest.
- It's great to have Ricky Rubio back. We’ve all seen the no-look pass stuff from last week, but here was another clever feed by Ricky.
- Can the Nuggets players call for a leadership spill?
What To Watch For This Week
Mon: Atlanta @ Memphis. The Antic/Koufos matchup is the key...OK, not really.
Tue: Clippers @ Dallas. The tough schedule for the Clips continues, as does the neutral fan's schadenfreude.
Wed: Detroit @ Charlotte. Lawler's Corollary: the first to 70 points wins.
Thu: Washington @ Toronto. This could turn out to be the game of the season...but most likely it won't
Fri: Cleveland @ Chicago. The only game on.
Sat: Rookie/Sophomore game. Personally I think Ingles was snubbed of a roster spot.
Sun: 3-point contest. It's better than the Dunk competition.
